Utah News

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The Utah Mammoth are fresh off a surprisingly successful inaugural season in Salt Lake City. They were in Wild Card contention late in the season and got a solid crowd for most of their games. Now, with their new name in tow, the Mammoth are heading into NHL free agency. The Athletic’s James Mirtle was at the NHL Combine and heard that Utah could be in on Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers this summer.

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“Their young core up front is only going to get better, but supporting [Clayton] Keller with better veteran depth will be priority No. 1, especially considering they seem set in goal and, if healthier than this past season, on defense too. The Mammoth have 21 NHL players signed (11 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies) and more than $20 million in cap space, so don’t be surprised if they’re in big on Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers and/or any trade targets who can put the puck in the net.”

For their entire existence, the Arizona Coyotes lacked a superstar. Shane Doan became a franchise icon, Keith Tkachuk scored a lot, and they developed a few solid young players. But outside of one Western Conference Final with Doan, they never made a lot of noise. The Mammoth have to solve that problem early in their existence, even with the cupboard of young talent Arizona left them.

While the Mammoth will have over $20 million to spend, they may not spend it all this summer. Nick Schmaltz, Matias Maccelli, and Barret Hayton are all entering the final year of their respective contracts. Even with the salary cap exploding over the next three years, Utah has to budget for keeping its young stars.

The Mammoth have already signed Karel Vejmelka, Olli Maatta, and Ian Cole for the 2025-26 season. Could they add their first superstar in free agency?

Utah’s biggest university wanted a bigger platform for its sports.

Utah Valley University officials say the Big West Conference will be just that.

After a decade in the Western Athletic Conference, the Wolverines will join the Big West on July 1, 2026. UVU Athletic Director Jared Sumsion says the move makes sense for the Wolverines, as they look to elevate their brand and level of competition.

“We really feel like the Big West elevates our profile,” Sumsion said. “It elevates who we are. And we feel like we help elevate the profile of the Big West as well.”

Here’s what you need to know about the Wolverines’ move.

How does UVU stack up?

With one season left in the WAC, Sumsion said the Wolverines will use their remaining season to prepare for what is to come with the Big West, both competitively and financially.

“We need to get better, competitively in some sports, and we have a couple facilities that could use some upgrades,” UVU’s AD said.

“It’s a more competitive league, and a lot of our sports are going to have to ramp up. That comes down to fundraising, building our facilities and getting ourselves ready for this opportunity.”

UVU will become the largest university in the conference with more than 46,800 enrolled students.

How does UVU stack up financially?

The Wolverines had $19.49 million in total athletic department expenses in 2024, compared to a total revenue of $18.44 million.

That would put UVU among the smaller budgets in the Big West, according to 2024 data:

Cal Poly — $35.9 million (includes football)

Cal State Bakersfield — $18.6 million

Cal State Fullerton — $26.3 million

Long Beach State — $29.6 million

Cal State Northridge — $22.8 million

UC Irvine — $31 million

UC Riverside — $20.9 million

UC San Diego — $24.6 million

UC Santa Barbara — $24.9 million

UVU’s biggest expenses of the year came from coaching salaries ($4.29 million), game and travel expenses ($3.87 million) and athlete financial aid ($3.79 million).

Are there Big West benefits?

The Wolverines’ basketball program could benefit most from the move. In March, the Big West fell short of being a two-bid league in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament when UC San Diego beat UC Irvine in the conference title game. If the Anteaters had won, both programs likely would have been in the Big Dance.

UVU failed to earn a bid into March Madness last season after it was defeated by Grand Canyon University in the WAC title game. With a win, the Wolverines would have played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

The Wolverines’ recent success in men’s basketball could eventually help the Big West become a multi-bid league.

But Sumsion said the Wolverines will be better positioned in other sports, too.

“We’ve been interested in joining a league that’s really strong,” he said. “The Big West is one of the premier mid-major leagues in the country.

“It’s a great baseball league and a great soccer league. It has a lot of sports with a lot of history. … We feel like we are going to be able to come in with some sports and immediately be competitive.”

Is more expansion to come?

The Wolverines will join as the only non-California school in their new conference. Big West commissioner Dan Butterly is excited about expanding his league’s regional footprint, citing new opportunities for future expansion.

With the latest addition of UVU, the conference will only have 11 programs by 2026. Butterly hopes to expand to 12 member institutions in the future to ease conference scheduling.

“We’re named the Big West,” Butterly said. “We’re excited about adding the state of Utah back to the footprint in the Big West.

“We still have institutions that we’re speaking with. There are institutions that want to join the Big West as they see the strength of the strategic plan moving ahead.”

The WAC is crumbling

Once the thriving home of the Utes and the Cougars, the Western Athletic Conference is struggling to hold on to members right now.

Seattle University is leaving to join the West Coast Conference next month.

UVU and California Baptist will leave for the Big West next year. Grand Canyon University is set to join the Mountain West then.

That would leave the WAC with just five full-time members, including Utah Tech and Southern Utah, in 2026.

As they took turns presenting their plans to comply with state-mandated budget cuts, each of Utah’s public university and college leaders Friday made some version of the same remark: It’s been a hard process under the tightest of timelines.

“I think we’ve learned a lot through this, but it’s been difficult,” said Shane Smeed, the president of Utah Tech University.

UVU’s Vice President of Finance Jim Mortensen echoed him, calling it “challenging.” And University of Utah President Taylor Randall said it has forced the school to quickly adjust to a “moment of reinvention.”

The eight schools have had less than three months to come up with millions of dollars in cuts — the largest reduction to the Utah System of Higher Education in at least the last decade.

State lawmakers cut 10% of the instruction line item from each school’s funding, for a total of $60.5 million. Their directive: Focus on eliminating “inefficient” majors — or programs that have few graduates and lead to lower paying jobs — to come up with the money. At the University of Utah, for instance, the reduction is $19.6 million.

Schools can eventually get the money back — but only if institutions show it will be reinvested in high-wage degrees that lead to jobs the state needs.

On Friday, school leaders for the first time formally and publicly presented their plans. They will have three years to make the changes.

Overall, the plans showed 32% of the money would later be reinvested in health care, specifically, and 19% in engineering.

Here’s a breakdown of each plan, in order of the highest to lowest amount of cuts.

University of Utah

• Amount cut: $19.6 million.

• Employee reductions: Not at this time, but expected later.

• Courses eliminated: 484.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 94.

University of Utah President Randall shared fewer details than other school leaders. That’s because, he said, the U.’s plans are still in flux due to federal funding uncertainties under the current presidential administration — which has significantly cut back on research money that the U. relies on.

“We’re seeing grants move back and forth,” he said. “That affects staff and faculty decisions.”

The flagship school has settled on a first phase of cuts, but has tentative plans at the moment for years two and three which Randall called “our best guess right now.”

The U. is cutting about $2 million from administrative costs, which Randall said aligns with the Legislature’s intentions. But he didn’t specify exactly what would be slashed there.

The university will also sunset 484 courses, some of which had no students enrolled, and 94 programs; the specific majors and minors were also not listed. But the school noted the largest share of the program cuts — 27 — will be from the College of Humanities. Previously, U. Provost Mitzi Montoya said the focus was on majors that graduate fewer than 40 students.

The school is also eliminating a graduate center it had been operating in St. George.

If it earns the money back in the reallocation process, the U. wants to reinvest largely in programs in artificial intelligence, engineering, nursing, biotechnology and behavioral health.

The school also said it’s looking at bolstering its required general education courses to focus on civic discussion and debate, which has been a large push from Utah leaders.

Utah State University

• Amount cut: $12.6 million.

• Employee reductions: The equivalent of 120 full-time positions.

• Courses eliminated: Number not included in the school’s presentation.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 14.

USU in Logan was the first school to announce a voluntary retirement program. It’s unclear how many of the eliminated positions were satisfied through that, but of the positions cut, 67 were faculty, 38 were staff and 15 were administrative.

Interim President Alan L. Smith said overall the school found $3.4 million in cuts related to “administrative efficiency.”

Eliminating programs — and making what remains more efficient — amounted to $5.8 million. Most eliminated programs were bachelor’s degrees under USU’s College of Education and Human Services. A handful of similar majors were combined to be more effective, and there were also department mergers within the humanities as well as the sciences.

The decisions, Smith said, were based on programs that had low enrollment, low graduation rates and “less successful” professional outcomes. He did not provide details on what that meant, but lawmakers instructed schools to look at job wages.

Smith intends to reinvest money back into “community needs in light of our land-grant mission.” That will include the areas of: technology and careers for the future, health and wellbeing in the workforce and student access and success initiatives.

Specifically, the school wants to expand its engineering, aviation, nursing, social work and physical therapy programs. And Smith said he’d like to improve online instruction.

Utah Valley University

• Amount cut: $8.9 million.

• Employee reductions: 45 positions, 13 of which were already vacant.

• Courses eliminated: Number not included in the school’s presentation.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 68.

Mortensen, UVU’s vice president of finance, said the school with the largest enrollment in the state braced early for expected cuts by setting aside $2.7 million last year as a contingency, which “softened the blow for us.”

Notably, five staff positions were eliminated with the school’s decision to shutter its Center For Intercultural Engagement as part of the cuts, eliminating the affiliated support programs for LGBTQ students, multicultural students and women. That came under HB265, but also in response to the Utah Legislature’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education.

The school also slashed some faculty positions in favor of lecturers, which Mortensen said allows UVU to offer more classes for less money.

For program cuts, Mortensen said the school looked at majors, minors and certificates that had low enrollment or that were expensive to teach. Those eliminated included a master’s degree in nursing education, a specialized business associate degree and a certificate in woodworking.

The school didn’t say how many courses it would cut, but a large portion will be reduced through streamlining classes. “We started eliminating where there was significant overlap,” Mortensen said. “We want to make sure we’re putting students in courses that land them in jobs.”

UVU is unique among the institutions in that all of cuts will be effective July 1, instead of rolling out over the three-year period. Mortensen said he didn’t want to “prolong the pain.”

The university plans to reinvest in engineering, artificial intelligence and health and wellness programs, as well as more tutoring. It also wants to start a laptop checkout program, so students who can’t afford one could borrow one to complete their coursework.

Weber State University

• Amount cut: $6.7 million.

• Employee reductions: 49 positions.

• Courses eliminated: 89.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 31.

Weber State University came up with most of its cuts through eliminating positions. That includes 11 administrative, 10 staff and 28 faculty posts, amounting to $6.2 million.

All of that came from voluntary resignations, said President Brad Mortensen, or positions that had been left vacant; there were no layoffs. A few of the administrative cuts were done by consolidating colleges to reduce the number of deans.

That included a major move to overhaul the Ogden school’s College of Education — which trains a significant portion of the state’s K-12 teachers — and fold those programs into other studies at Weber State. There had been 31 education programs at Weber State, which Mortensen said included a lot of duplication or unnecessary “hyper-specialization.” Many of those were among the cuts and consolidations.

Overall, the school eliminated 31 programs, which had 209 students across all. Most were in the humanities and liberal arts, Mortensen said. The president had been an early and strong proponent in protecting those programs for the value they provide to students and the community, but said he was left with few other choices. Most of the faculty and staff cuts were also in the arts and humanities, with seven positions reduced there.

“Certainly those areas did take more of a cut as we pulled things out at Weber State,” he said.

Faculty spoke out against those decisions during a heated town hall meeting in April, specifically pushing back against eliminating the minors for queer studies and women and gender studies.

The school will also shutter its West Center in Roy that offered some courses, test administration and a computer lab.

Moving forward, Mortensen said he will reinvest money in efforts to increase student enrollment and retention, including expanding academic advising.

Salt Lake Community College

• Amount cut: $5.2 million.

• Employee reductions: 50 positions, 15 of which were already vacant.

• Courses eliminated: 237.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 48, with 12 programs consolidated.

Salt Lake Community College’s plan stands out for cutting more from its budget than what it was required to by the Legislature. President Greg Peterson said he came up with an additional $581,620 in reductions for a total of $5.8 million in cuts.

He said the school regularly cuts programs that have low enrollment, but the process under the mandated cuts “was on steroids just because of the amount.” The school is eliminating 237 courses that it says were not directly tied to a degree.

The biggest share of the programs cuts — 18 of the 48 — were centered in the business school. Peterson said there were too many offerings there, and it was confusing students. “Really, more isn’t better,” he said.

The college also eliminated entirely its School of Arts, Communication and Media, which was its smallest. Those programs will be folded into other schools and departments.

It’s cutting or shifting some programs so they will only be taught at Salt Lake Technical College. That includes certificates for those wanting to become emergency medical technicians and firefighters, as well as programs in car repair and manufacturing technology.

SLCC is permanently closing its long-standing Community Writing Center and slashing the library and testing services at its smaller Miller Campus in Sandy.

It will eliminate 50 positions, including five administrative, mostly through layoffs and voluntary retirements.

The school plans to reinvest in film and hospitality programs; the Utah Board of Higher Education raised some questions about that, based on enrollment, but Peterson said there is a high industry demand for both. SLCC will also add 29 positions with the money it gets back.

Southern Utah University

• Amount cut: $3.2 million.

• Employee reductions: About 25 positions.

• Courses eliminated: Number not included in the school’s presentation.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 24.

Of the positions cut at SUU, 6.5 were administrative, 13.6 were faculty and 5.25 were staff. Some of that came through repositioning and retirements, and a handful were layoffs, said President Mindy Benson.

Benson said she looked first at her office. There, she chose to eliminate a vice president post and an assistant to the president for special projects. Those two spots alone amount to $302,947, she said. And the administrative cuts, overall, account for 48% of the money the Cedar City school had to come up with.

For its plan, SUU is eliminating 24 academic programs. Of the four majors and two minors among those for undergraduates, all are in the liberal arts. That includes art history, French and philosophy.

It’s also abandoning its culinary and uncrewed aviation programs. Those are already offered at nearby Southwest Technical College, and Benson said enrollment didn’t justify both schools having them.

The school hopes it can reinvest in 23 new positions, with time, if it earns its share of the cuts back. Those plans focus on expanding psychology, nursing, business and engineering programs.

It also wants to invest in expanding internship opportunities for students, Benson said.

Utah Tech University

• Amount cut: $2.6 million.

• Employee reductions: Number not included in the school’s presentation.

• Courses eliminated: Number not included in the school’s presentation.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 17.

The St. George-based school is cutting majors for students who want to become educators in Spanish and theater, as well as a theater directing emphasis. It’s also eliminating its standalone College of Arts, merging those programs into other departments at the school.

Like SLCC, the school will also end its program for those training to become EMTs, with that already offered at its partner institution, Dixie Technical College.

Utah Tech President Smeed said there had been some “small student protests” over those decisions, but he defended the moves as necessary to come up with the required money.

With employee reductions, the school is coming up with about $700,000. Utah Tech did not provide specific numbers, though, for how many people are impacted. It did note that it will cut one administrative position in athletics and another in the president’s office.

The university plans to reinvest in business, engineering, psychology and health sciences, as well as some in digital media arts with growing film industry needs in southern Utah.

Snow College

• Amount cut: $1.7 million.

• Employee reductions: 11 positions.

• Courses eliminated: Number not included in the school’s presentation.

• Majors, minors or certificates slashed: 8.

As the smallest school in the state and a community college without many specialized degrees, Snow College President Stacee McIff said coming up with the budget cuts was particularly difficult. Snow College mostly offers certificates and more general associate degrees, which means it didn’t have many programs to eliminate.

It’s discontinuing only a handful of offerings, including French, Italian and media studies. It will no longer have a student newspaper or radio station.

And the college won’t be holding annual convocation ceremonies due to decreasing attendance, McIff said. That, in particular, will save $62,000 a year.

The bulk of the money will come through having fewer faculty and staff — but none of the reductions are coming through layoffs, McIff said. There are 25 employees at the college who have opted for voluntary retirement. A few of those positions will need to be filled, but not all of them, resulting in a total of 11 eliminated positions and cost-savings by refilling at lower salary rates.

McIff said the hope is to keep Snow College “accessible, affordable and relevant.” With the reinvestment money, the school will expand its education program at the nearby Gunnison Prison. And it will add to existing programs in elementary education, biology and automation technology. The school is also creating new programs in behavioral health and rural entrepreneurship.

Snow, like most schools, got a green light from the board. The U., Utah State University and Weber State University were each granted conditional approval and asked to provide more details to the board over the next few months.

The schools will next seek final approval from the Legislature in August and September.

The hard work of Utah’s best high school athletes was on full display Monday night.

Nearly 170 student-athletes were honored at the third annual Deseret News High School Sports Awards presented by The Larry H. Miller Company.

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The event, hosted at the new Ballpark at America First Square, celebrated Utah’s most exceptional high school athletes for their athletic accomplishments over the past school year.

“The talent has gotten better and better in this space,” Deseret News editor Sarah Jane Weaver said.

Deseret News columnist and BYUtv broadcaster Dave McCann served as the event’s master of ceremonies.

The night’s honors included most outstanding athlete awards for each of the 25 sanctioned sports as well as male and female honors for player, coach and humanitarian of the year.

The top overall athletic programs in each of the six classifications were also honored with the All-Sports Awards.

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In addition to their awards, the male and female athletes and coaches of the year each received a $1,000 check from America First Credit Union. Other sponsors of the evening included Minky Couture, SymbolArts and Eye Care4 Kids.

Male Athlete of the Year

Male Athlete of the Year and Mr. Soccer winner Lewis Knecht expressed his gratitude for the Deseret News recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of Utah’s high school athletes.

“They work hard to make sure we feel like we’ve succeeded, because we have,” Knecht said. “It’s not easy doing what we do. Whether you get an award or not, to be here, it’s really important to each of us, and it’s really nice to feel important to the community, so I’m just very grateful for them and all they do.”

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The American Fork High forward was caught off guard when he learned he’d been named male athlete of the year. Knecht was impressed as the winner’s stats and achievements were read off and was surprised when he realized they were his.

The future Utah Valley Wolverine considers the award his proudest accomplishment of his high school athletic career alongside American Fork’s back-to-back state championships.

“It was unheard of for our program and to make a name for our program and to switch the narrative for us, it was really important for me to just build those memories with my teammates,” he said.

“There’s nothing I would trade for those two state championships for my team.”

Female Athlete of the Year

The day after she demolished her own national high school record for the two-mile run, Timpview’s Jane Hedengren was named the Female Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.

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Hedengren was also honored as Ms. Cross Country for a third straight year and Ms. Track and Field for the second consecutive year.

“It’s awesome to come to this event. It’s been great the past few years, and I’m just really, really glad that they wanted to have me again this year,” she said.

Hedengren finished her high school career with nine national records to her name, and she’s excited to join the BYU Cougars this fall.

“I think that it’s gonna be a great opportunity, and I’m excited to gain some new relationships there and to just give myself grace for the development process and that it might take a few years to adjust and just get back into the rhythm of things, but I’m really hopeful for the future,” she said.

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Hedengren had many college options, but she chose BYU.

“I think it’s really just going to be a great place and great fit for me, so really looking forward to my time,” she said. “No negative nerves or energy coming in. Just looking forward to that process.

“I’m sure there’s going to be many learning curves but I’m ready for that and I’m excited for that because I think that will only positively affect me as a person and as an athlete, just with building my resilience and just learning to be adaptable within many different positions.”

Female Coach of the Year

The 2025 Female Coach of the Year, McHailee Danner, and her softball team made West Jordan High history by winning the school’s first-ever girls state championship.

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“Honestly, to get the award was kind of a bit of a shock, but I am so deeply honored,” she said. “I mean, my whole life, I’ve chased being a winner. I’ve chased being a champion, and I didn’t quite get it in high school.

“It kind of manifests in a way that I never thought, and it’s just 100% better, so I’m just grateful to be honored in that way, and just to show up for my players.”

This season was Danner’s second as West Jordan’s coach and her second year ever as a head coach. She actually interviewed for the job while on a family trip to Disney World. Now, she’s able to share her “one true love” with the next generation.

Male Coach of the Year

Adam Fager, this year’s Male Coach of the Year, led Layton High’s boy’s wrestling team to its highest national ranking and third straight state title, but the year was also bittersweet for Fager and the team.

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Fager’s father passed away in January, the month before the Lancers claimed their title. His father, a sports psychologist, had volunteered several free hours of his services to the boys on the team “to help them pursue becoming their best selves,” Fager said.

“To see us all be able to finish out that season with a lot of gratitude and persevere when we could have hung our heads and really choked, but we all kind of stepped up and decided to have a lot of gratitude for my dad and the things that he’s done for us and show that gratitude through our effort and our performance, so I mean, that more than anything, that kind of makes it most special,” he said.

While the night was full of special moments, the best moment was actually impromptu.

The event’s keynote speaker Travis Hansen, a former BYU, NBA and Euroleague player, advised the honorees to “give a piece of crust away and get a loaf back.”

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“When you do good, the unimaginable happens,” Hansen said.

Hansen showed the honorees what that looked like. Before his address, Hansen — without disclosing his reason — had asked the event organizers to find an athlete who had experienced a rough year. They chose Ben Hone, who plays volleyball at Orem High.

At the conclusion of his remarks, Hansen invited Hone out onto the field to share his story. Hone said he has Type 1 diabetes and his parents are going through their own health challenges. His father has cancer, and his mother has multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

Sports has served as an outlet for Hone to get away from life’s challenges, he said.

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Hansen then surprised Hone by telling him that he was giving him $5,000 “because you’re a fighter, because you’re disciplined, because your family is dealing with a lot of uncertainty.”

Here is the full list of honorees from this year’s Deseret News High School Sports Awards.

2024-25 Deseret News High School Sports Awards Honorees

Athlete of the Year

• Male: Lewis Knecht, American Fork, soccer

• Female: Jane Hedengren, Timpview, track and field/cross country

Coach of the Year

• Male: Adam Fager, Layton, wrestling

• Female: McHailee Danner, West Jordan, softball

Boys cross-country

• Mr. Cross-Country: Kaden Evans, American Fork

Most outstanding athletes

• Kaden Evans, American Fork

• Hayden Hooper, Bountiful

• Kyle Steadman, Mountain View

• Jackson Spencer, Herriman

Girls cross-country

• Ms. Cross-Country: Jane Hedengren, Timpview

Most outstanding athletes

• Jane Hedengren, Timpview

• Lily Alder, Timpview

• Skye Jensen, American Fork

• Jaylie Rae Jenkins, Union

Football

• Mr. Football: Robert Young, Roy

Most outstanding athletes

• Top QB: Emerson Geilman, Bountiful

• Top RB: Kaden Vest, Spanish Fork

• Top WR: Jaron Pula, Timpview

• Top WR: Graham Livingston, Ridgeline

• Top OL: Zion Finau, Corner Canyon

• Top OL: Aaron Michael Dunn, Spanish Fork

• Top DL : De’Shawn Ioka Nofoa Toilolo, Skyridge

• Top DL: Viliami Moala, Bingham

• Top LB: McKay Wright, Crimson Cliffs

• Top LB: Nusi Taumoepeau, Westlake

• Top DB: Cyrus Polu, Desert Hills

• Top DB: Robert Young, Roy

Boys volleyball

• Mr. Volleyball: Trey Thornton, Maple Mountain

The Ultimate 6

• Trey Thornton, Maple Mountain

• Kilika Tafa, Westlake

• Corbin Batista, Alta

• Nesta James Vaitai, Mountain Ridge

• Ben Hone, Orem

• Ashton Shewell, Lehi

Girls Volleyball

• Ms. Volleyball: Taylor Harvey, Bountiful

The Ultimate 6

• Taylor Harvey, Bountiful

• Grace Fredrick, Skyline

• Ava Burgess, Lone Peak

• Halle Bills, Corner Canyon

• Kylie Buttars, Skyridge

• Sadie White, Mountain Ridge

Boys Basketball

• Mr. Basketball: Gavin Lowe, Olympus

Dream 5 starters

• Coleman Atwater, Davis

• Cale Barclay, Herriman

• Dean Rueckert, Timpview

• Gavin Lowe, Olympus

• Jude Haigh, Green Canyon

Girls Basketball

Ms. Basketball: Emilee Skinner, Ridgeline

Dream 5 starters

• Emilee Skinner, Ridgeline

• Taylor Harvey, Bountiful

• Skylie Barker, Copper Hills

• Olivia Hamlin, Snow Canyon

• La’u Pele Kylee Falatea, West

Drill team

• Ms. Drill: Caymbree Hodges, Bingham

Most outstanding athletes

• Caymbree Hodges, Bingham

• Harlee Ruoti, Copper Hills

• Taylor Crum, Duchesne

• Ellison Parkinson, Davis

• Reagan Tracy, Farmington

Competitive cheers

• Ms. Cheer: Avery Iorg, Bingham

Most outstanding athletes

• Avery Iorg, Bingham

• Ellie Baugh, Farmington

• Anistyn Barber, Timpview

• Preston Abilla, Bingham

• Ava Johnson, Corner Canyon

Boys golf

Mr. Golf: Kihei Akina, Lone Peak

Most outstanding athletes

• Kihei Akina, Lone Peak

• Bowen Mauss, Corner Canyon

• Jackson Shelley, Skyline

• Rawson Hardy, Park City

Girls golf

• Ms. Golf: Saydie Wagner, Lone Peak

Most outstanding athletes

• Kaylee Westfall, Orem

• Aadyn Long, Lone Peak

• Saydie Wagner, Lone Peak

• Whitni Johnson, Bonneville

Boys tennis

• Mr. Tennis: Braeden Johnson, American Fork

Most outstanding athletes

• Braeden Michael Johnson, American Fork

• Oliver Mesicek, Highland

• Calvin Armstrong, Skyridge

• Adam Miner, Crimson Cliffs

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Girls tennis

• Ms. Tennis: Bella Lewis, Skyridge

Most outstanding athletes

• Bella Lewis, Skyridge

• Fabiana Gonzalez, Hillcrest

• Emmy Richards, Woods Cross

• Bailey Huebner, Green Canyon

Boys soccer

• Mr. Soccer: Lewis Knecht, American Fork

Best 11

• F: Lewis Knecht, American Fork

• F: Jorge Beltran, East

• F: Jayden Cosper, Wasatch

• MF: Luis Velasco, Ogden

• MF: Demitri James Wallace Larsen, American Fork

• MF: Taylor Daniel Kogan, Dixie

• MF: Cole Simpson, Wasatch

• D: Elijah Robert Jaggi, Lone Peak

• D: Ben Hess, American Fork

• D: Ty Dutcher, Alta

• GK: Chase Radford, Alta

Girls soccer

• Ms. soccer: Hope Munson, Olympus

Best 11

• F: Hadli Barrera, Mountain Crest

• F: Kyleigh Hastings, Green Canyon

• F: Bella Devey, Lone Peak

• MF: Hope Munson, Olympus

• MF: Kate Denney, Lone Peak

• MF: Kate Fuller, Lone Peak

• MF: Brooklyn Phongsavath, Davis

• D: Ruby Lee, Lone Peak

• D: Cadence Packer, Davis

• D: Summer Cay Sofonia, Mountain Crest

• GK: Eliza Collings, Lone Peak

Boys wrestling

• Mr. Wrestling: Geronimo Rivera Jr., Layton

Most outstanding athletes

• Geronimo Rivera Jr., Layton

• Tucker Roybal, Union

• Austin Paris, Grand

• Jason Worthley, West Field

• Noah Bull, Layton

• Brad Farrer, Pleasant Grove

Girls wrestling

• Ms. Wrestling: Kristina Kent, Davis

Most outstanding athletes

• Keilikki Nau Rarick, Westlake

• Kristina Lynn Kent, Davis

• Aleena Navarrete, West Field

• Tevia Nau Rarick, Westlake

• Tilisa Matakaiongo, Canyon View

• Nia Hagler, Snow Canyon

Boys lacrosse

• Mr. Lacross: Austin Taylor, Brighton

Best 11

• Attack: Rome Swanwick, Judge Memorial

• Attack: Austin Taylor, Brighton

• Attack: Gabe Carrera, Brighton

• Middie: Braxton Horoba, Alta

• Middie: JT Rigby, Mountain Ridge

• Middie: Ashton Wood, Davis

• SSDM: Reece Jerrad Smith, Park City

• Defender: Mason Brady, Corner Canyon

• Defender: Carter Sant, Davis

• Middie: Kaydin Berry, Fremont

• Goalie: Rhett King, Corner Canyon

Girls lacrosse

• Ms. Lacrosse: Sarah Anné, Olympus

Best 12

• Attack: Catherine “Cat” Elsa Faucette, Corner Canyon

• Attack: Taya Chalk, Mountain Ridge

• Attack: Alexandra MacAulay, Farmington

• Middie: Sarah Anné, Olympus

• Middie: Lizzie Anné, Olympus

• Middie: Coco Crawford, Park City

• Middie: Cecelia Walton, Viewmont

• Middie: Hailey Larsen, Farmington

• Defender: Lily Yatkeman, Park City

• Defender: Brielle Fabert, Mountain Ridge

• Defender: Megan Magee, Park City

• Goalie: Elle Erickson, Farmington

Boys swimming

• Mr. Swimming: Abe Astle, Olympus

Most outstanding athletes

• Abe Astle, Olympus

• Luan Barnard, Brighton

• Kurt Morgan, Canyon View

• Sebastian Wrona, Olympus

• Gabriel Thomas Jones, St. Joseph

• Nash Stanford Hale, Skyline

Girls swimming

• Ms. Swimming: Roni Black, Highland

Most outstanding athletes

• Roni Black, Highland

• Jade Garstang, Skyline

• Taylor Bennett, Lone Peak

• Avery Bulkley, Payson

• Rainie Moran, Olympus

• Ana Diedrichs, Wasatch

Baseball

Mr. Baseball: CJ Mascaro, American Fork

Elite starting 9

• Cy Chrisman, Maple Mountain

• Mays Madsen, Lehi

• CJ Mascaro, American Fork

• Kameron Beck, Bingham

• Chase Johnston, Maple Mountain

• Andrew Wilson, Desert Hills

• Drew Smith, Pleasant Grove

• Easton Fry, Brighton

• Cache Poulson, American Fork

Softball

• Ms. Softball: Anne Wallace, Ridgeline

Elite starting 9

• Anne Wallace, Ridgeline

• Lulu West, Desert Hills

• Maile Larsen, Pleasant Grove

• Bella Douglas, Bear River

• Rita Leialoha Tavita, West Jordan

• Brecka Larson, Bingham

• Peyton Holly Sanchez, Riverton

• Maggie Amelia Hamblin, Riverton

• Katelyn Wilson, Bear River

Boys track

• Mr. Track: Davis DeGroot, Bonneville

Most outstanding athletes

• Ty Warnick, Riverton

• Davis DeGroot, Bonneville

• Matthew Christopher Bryant, Lone Peak

• David Konan, Corner Canyon

• Tayshaun Ogomo, Herriman

• Eli Connelly, Crimson Cliffs

• Josh Hamblin, Weber

Girls track

• Ms. Track: Jane Hedengren, Timpview

Most outstanding athletes

• Amelia Nadauld, Snow Canyon

• Jane Hedengren, Timpview

• Tia Brown, Snow Canyon

• Kinzlee J Riddle, Mountain Ridge

• Burklie Burton, Layton

• Lily Alder, Timpview

• Cadee Alder, Manti

Humanitarian of the Year

• Male: Sawyer Orgain, Rowland Hall

• Female: Lydia Wall, Salem Hills

All-sports winners

• 1A: Clint Barney, Panguitch

• 2A: Amy Robinson, South Sevier

• 3A: Kade Morrell, Morgan

• 4A: Mike Hansen, Ridgeline

• 5A: Wendy Anae, Timpview

• 6A: Nancy Warner, Lone Peak

The inaugural NBA Draft Lottery dates back to 1985, and since then, the Jazz have made 13 selections through it. From longtime contributors to rising stars, each pick reflects a different chapter in the franchise’s journey. Let’s take a look back from the most recent lottery pick to one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

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Cody Williams – 2024 (10th Overall)

The younger brother of OKC’s Jalen Williams, Cody appeared in 50 games as a rookie in 2024-25 and averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.2 mpg. Williams’ debut season was plagued a bit by injuries, but he’s still just 20 years old and will have the time to develop in Utah with their young core.

Taylor Hendricks – 2023 (9th Overall)

A versatile forward out of Central Florida, Hendricks is another Jazz youngster who’s missed significant time in the early stages of his career. After playing in 43 contests as a rookie in 2023-24, a fractured right fibula and dislocated right ankle cost him all but three games in 2024-25. The 21-year-old has compiled career averages of 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds on 43.4 / 36.8 / 78.8 splits in 46 games.

Taurean Prince -2016 (12th Overall)

Utah traded the draft rights of Taurean Waller-Prince (full name) to the Hawks in 2016, and the Baylor product played his first three professional campaigns in Atlanta. From there, Prince spent time with Brooklyn, Cleveland, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers and, most recently, Milwaukee, appearing in a combined 608 regular and postseason games throughout his nine-year career.

Trey Lyles – 2015 (12th Overall)

Lyles has enjoyed a solid 10-year career in the NBA. The Kentucky product playing 151 games en route to tallying 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. Over the next five seasons, Lyles spent time with the Nuggets, Spurs and Pistons before joining his current team, the Sacramento Kings, midway through the 2021-22 season.

Dante Exum – 2014 (5th Overall)

Injuries have been a consistent hurdle for Exum ever since the Jazz took him fifth overall back in 2014. The Australian combo guard has played 66 or more games just twice in nine years in the NBA, doing so with the franchise that drafted him each time. He missed all of 2015-16 because of injury, then appeared in 133 games combined over the next three and a half years with Utah until the Cavaliers acquired him in 2019-20. Exum made 30 appearances for Cleveland but decided to spend his next two pro seasons in Europe while reviving his game and health. That hard work resulted in the Aussie’s NBA comeback with Dallas, where he’s suited up in 75 total outings over the past two seasons.

Shabazz Muhammad – 2013 (14th Overall)

Muhammad ended up being one of three draft picks to be traded away by Utah in the 2013 draft. The UCLA product played five seasons in the NBA with Minnesota and Milwaukee, averaging 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 278 career outings before retiring in 2018.

Enes Freedom – 2011 (3rd Overall)

Freedom, who is formerly known as Enes Kanter, was the first of two lottery selections by the Jazz in 2013. He played 265 games in almost four years in Utah, with his breakout campaign coming in 2013-14 when he averaged 12.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg and finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year Voting. Enes started the following season and put up 13.8 points and 7.8 boards, prompting Oklahoma City to trade for him. He went on to play for the Thunder, Knicks, Trail Blazers and Celtics to wrap up an 11-year career, retiring in 2022 at age 29.

Alec Burks – 2011 (12th Overall)

Burks played his first eight campaigns with the Jazz, recording averages of 9.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 382 games. The guard-forward out of Colorado has bounced around a bit since his time in Utah, suiting up for the Cavs, Kings, Warriors, Sixers, Knicks, Pistons and Heat to round out a solid 14-year career in the NBA.

Gordon Hayward – 2010 (9th Overall)

Hayward put together a great seven-year stretch that was capped by his only career All-Star appearance in 2016-17. After posting a career-high 21.9 ppg that season, Hayward decided to leave Utah in favor of Boston the following year, but a devastating leg injury cost him all but five minutes of his debut. The Butler alum played for the Celtics, Hornets and Thunder over the final seven seasons of his 14-year career, retiring in 2024.

Ronnie Brewer – 2006 (14th Overall)

Brewer’s most productive seasons came in a Jazz uniform, where he tallied 10.5 points and 1.5 steals across 266 career games. He averaged a career-best 13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1.7 spg in 2008-09, his last full season in Utah. Brewer was a member of the Grizzlies, Bulls, Knicks, Thunder and Rockets to finish out his eight-year tenure in the NBA.

Deron Williams – 2005 (3rd Overall)

Much like the previous entry on this list, Williams played perhaps the best basketball of his 12-year career in Utah. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2005-06, made two of his three All-Star appearances with the Jazz, and finished top-12 in MVP voting while being named to the All-NBA Second Teams in 2007-08 and 2009-10. In 439 contests as a member of the Jazz, Williams averaged 17.3 points, 9.1 assists and 1.1 steals. He spent the rest of his time in the league with Brooklyn/New Jersey, Dallas and Cleveland before retiring in 2017.

Kris Humphries – 2004 (14th Overall)

Humphries played two seasons with the Jazz and posted averages of 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 129 games. Throughout the next 11 years, the Minnesota product played for Toronto, Dallas, Brooklyn/New Jersey, Boston, Washington, Phoenix and Atlanta before retiring in 2017 as a Hawk.

Karl Malone – 1985 (13th Overall)

Malone is one of the greatest players in not only Jazz history, but in NBA history as well. A member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, ‘The Mailman’ finished third in ROY voting in 1986 and was a 14-time All-Star, a 14-time All-NBA selection, four-time All-Defensive Team selection and a two-time MVP in his 19-year career. He led the league in free-throws made and attempted for five straight seasons (1988-89 to 1992-93), then again in free-throws made from 1996-1999, earning Malone the all-time record for makes (9,787) and attempts (13,188). In 1,434 regular season appearances for Utah, ‘King Karl’ averaged 25.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks throughout 18 years with the franchise. He joined the Lakers for his final campaign in 2003-04 to end his Hall-of-Fame career.

The legendary Yo-Yo Ma will perform at least twice in Utah next year — at two universities.

Yo-Yo Ma will perform at BYU and UVU

Utah Valley University recently announced The Noorda’s Center for the Performing Arts 2025–26 season, and the lineup includes a performance from renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma on Feb. 25.

That performance comes the day after the 19-time Grammy winner is scheduled to perform at Brigham Young University — an appearance that celebrates both the university’s 150th anniversary and the centennial of the school’s College of Fine Arts and Communication, as the Deseret News previously reported.

Ma’s pair of solo performances in Utah is significant, coming a little over a year after he performed with the Utah Symphony in an appearance that was billed as his first performance in Salt Lake City since the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics, per Deseret News.

The Noorda’s upcoming season also features another classical music superstar: violinist Joshua Bell.

The violin virtuoso previously performed at UVU in 2021 and Brigham Young University in 2017.

Another big draw for the season is Broadway and Disney star Lea Salonga, the powerful voice behind Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan who was the guest artist for the Tabernacle Choir’s 2022 Christmas concert.

Below is the full 2025–26 season lineup, per The Noorda website:

• Sept. 12 — The Wailin’ Jennys
• Sept. 26 — Henry Yeff aka Reeps100
• Oct. 13 — 123 Andres
• Nov. 5 — Lea Salonga
• Dec. 12 — La Nueva Generacion, “A Mariachi Christmas”
• Dec. 16 — Utah Symphony, “Here Comes Santa Claus”
• Feb. 6, 2026 — Tango After Dark
• Feb. 25, 2026 — Yo-Yo Ma
• April 3, 2026 — Brush Theatre presents: Doodle Pop
• April 21, 2026 — Joshua Bell

Tickets are available on The Noorda’s website. Ma’s performance is only available through season ticket packages until July 1.

Utah ranks No. 4 in the nation for child well-being, with gains in reducing poverty and youth engagement. But there are persistent challenges in housing and access to early education, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual evaluation, which is now in its 36th year.

The “2025 Kids Count Data Book” ranks the states from 1 to 50 on 16 indicators of child well-being. The report considers four factors in each of four categories: Economic well-being, education, health and family and community.

Utah came in behind New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. New Mexico was the state with the lowest ranking.

It notes that a quarter of Utah children in 2023 (the last year for full data) lived in households that spent more than the recommended 30% of household income on housing and reports an increase in the share who have challenges finding affordable housing in the Beehive State.

Additionally, 9% of children live in poverty, which is down from 10% five years ago. But while 3,000 children who lived in poverty in 2019 no longer do, that means 88,000 still lived in poverty in 2023.

Other bad news, despite Utah’s high ranking:

• More Utah fourth-graders are not proficient at reading, at 64% compared to 60% in 2019.
• The share of eighth-graders not on grade level in math is 65%. That’s a sad number that’s still better than the nation’s 73% who are not proficient.
• The number of Utah teens ages 16-19 not in school or working has risen to 7% — that’s 16,000 teens.

On the plus side:

• The poverty rate dropped from 10% to 9% for children.
• The share of children in households where no parent has full-time year round employment fell to 18%.

Paying attention to how children fare is vital in Utah, said Martín C. Muñoz, Kids Count director at Voices for Utah Children, because a third of the state’s residents are younger than 18. “When we strengthen families and communities, we’re securing our future, for our state and for our country.

Mixed findings in Utah

On the education front, 57% of children ages 3 and 4 are not in school, which is the same as during the last ranking. But Utahns are faring slightly better in terms of high school students who are not graduating on time, at 12%, which is down from 13% last time and which is slightly better than the national average, which is also 13%.

The health category is a very mixed bag for Utah, where the state ranks 13th overall. The Beehive State is slightly better than the national share of 8.6% for low-birthweight babies, at 7.4%. That’s been pretty consistent since 2019. But that still means 3,308 babies were born with low birthweight in Utah. And many low-birthweight babies face long-term complications in their development.

Utah continues to have 26 teen and child deaths per 100,000 each year, compared to the national average of 29 per 100,000.

The state’s gotten worse, though, in terms of the number of children ages 10 to 17 who are overweight or obese. That used to be 1 in 5, but has risen to 1 in 4 in the last few years. Nationally, the overweight/obesity rate is slightly more than 3 in 10.

Fewer Utah children, however, lack health insurance, at 7%, compared to 8% in 2023. Still, that’s worse than the national average of 5% of children without insurance.

Utah’s No. 2 overall in the family and community category, with a stable share of children in single parent homes (19%), just 6 % in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma, and a mere 1% of children living in high-poverty areas, though nationwide 8% do. Utah teen birth numbers are also better than national numbers, at 9% compared to 13% nationally.

How children fare nationally

The report also looked at trends since 2019, noting seven of the indicators nationally have improved, six have gotten worse and three have been unchanged.

Since 2019, the nation has seen less poverty among children, fewer teen births, more children covered by health insurance and a rise in on-time school graduation.

The report also notes increases in parental education and the share of parents with secure employment.

“Some of these trends reflect years of progress,” the report says. “Others highlight the resilience of children and families after the COVID-19 pandemic and the success of strong policies that provided support during that time.”

Nationally, the area with the worst news was in education, where three out of four indicators show decline since 2019. Those include preschool participation that hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, a decline in reading and math scores and the note that chronic absenteeism has become a “major challenge.”

On the plus side, high school graduation rates have been going up.

The report notes that “serious challenges remain, as 16% of U.S. children still live in poverty and nearly 1 in 3 children live in households struggling with high housing cost.” And the foundation adds that where a child lives “continues to matter deeply, with stark geographic disparities shaped by local and state policies, economic conditions, community investment and infrastructure.”

The report says that’s clear in the most challenged areas, which are largely in the South and Southwest: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

It adds that many Northeast and Midwest states rank well: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota and Vermont.

Shout out for Utah

Utah gets a special call-out, the only one in the West, as the report says that “Utah also stands out as a strong performer.”

Muñoz said that besides showing state policymakers and parents where more could be done to improve, it also highlights areas that can be emulated because of their high ranking. Policies and programs that are working can be built upon, he said.

“Utah is doing well,” he said. “We are a success story but there are little pockets in our state that need some attention.”

What helps families, he added, is true “trickle-down economics. When we help families, it trickles down to help the kids.”

On Sunday, the last day of this year’s Utah Pride Festival, homegrown favorit David Archuleta took to stage for his first ever performance at the festival.

Archuleta told The Salt Lake Tribune that a decade prior, he never would have “fathomed” that all his friends and family would be attending a performance of his at Utah Pride.

Archuleta was a former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But after coming out in 2022, he’s embraced a new side of himself — and it shows in his music. Though this is his first time performing at Utah Pride, he’s previously performed at several iterations of the LoveLoud Festival.

In an order issued June 6, the Utah Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Kouri Richins, who wanted a Salt Lake County jury to hear her case.

Her defense team had appealed 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik’s decision to hold the trial in Summit County with Summit County jurors.

They worry that the local community has been so saturated with information about the case that an impartial jury couldn’t be found. And if Salt Lake County jurors weren’t allowed to serve in Summit County, they indicated they’d like to move the trial down to the valley.

Richins is the former real estate agent accused of fatally poisoning her husband Eric Richins in 2022. She would go on to write a children’s book about grieving him and was arrested in 2023 in connection with his death.

She’s charged with nine felonies, including aggravated murder, attempted murder and financial crimes. Richins pleaded not guilty to each count and maintains her innocence. She’s been held at the Summit County Jail since her 2023 arrest. District court has twice denied requests for bail.

Read the full story at kpcw.org.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.